I am using Parallels 4 with Windows XP3 on my iMac. I tried video editing within Windows and found the program(me) just did not work so have removed it. I had allocated a partition of 300 GB of space on the virtual disk for the video files, and now this space is no longer required. I deleted all the files in the volume, using Disk Management in Windows. Now the space remains as 'Unallocated space'. I tried to compact the Virtual Drive using Parallels Image tool, but this does nothing to remove the unallocated space. Is there any way I can now reduce the size of the virtual drive so that I can 'free-up' the 300 GB to be available on my main Mac drive, where I am now using Final Cut ? Please ?
Need to reduce the size of VM disk
- Thread starter TerenceH
- Start date
Peter Canasius J L
Forum Maven
Hello Terence,
We can install Acronis Disk Director Suite, a free software provide in Parallels Desktop 4 to merge partition and resize the partition.
Please copy and paste the below mentioned link in the Web browser in Windows and install it.
download.parallels.com/desktop/v4/en_us/parallels/update1/Acronis-Disk-Director.exe
Please click on the below mentioned link for more information on how to install.
http://kb.parallels.com/en/5727
After merging the unallocated partition you could compact the windows hard disk size by using the Parallels Image tools.
Please click on the below mentioned Image tool user guide for information on how to compact the windows hard disk.
http://download.parallels.com/desktop/v4/docs/en/Parallels_Image_Tool_Users_Guide/27900.htm
We can install Acronis Disk Director Suite, a free software provide in Parallels Desktop 4 to merge partition and resize the partition.
Please copy and paste the below mentioned link in the Web browser in Windows and install it.
download.parallels.com/desktop/v4/en_us/parallels/update1/Acronis-Disk-Director.exe
Please click on the below mentioned link for more information on how to install.
http://kb.parallels.com/en/5727
After merging the unallocated partition you could compact the windows hard disk size by using the Parallels Image tools.
Please click on the below mentioned Image tool user guide for information on how to compact the windows hard disk.
http://download.parallels.com/desktop/v4/docs/en/Parallels_Image_Tool_Users_Guide/27900.htm
Compacting the drive
Thanks for the rapid reply to my question, and for the suggestions made, all of which I have now tried. The virtual drives were C: applications, D: data (60GB), and E: Video (300GB - empty). After installing Acronis Disk Director I was able to merge Drives D & E, which then left me with the data on drive D: which is now 360 GB, having absorbed the 300 GB from Drive E. Next I followed the suggestion of compacting the Parallels virtual disk, using Parallels Tools. This had no effect at all, and after the 'successful' compacting of the disk I still finished up with 360 GB of space on drive D, which in reality only contains 20 GB of data. All space is allocated.
I next tried Parallels Desktop/Virtual Machine/Compressor, which ran for about 2 hours and at the 'successful' end, still left me with exactly the same 360 GB of allocated space. That has left me with with no ideas at all.
Can I use Acronis to re-size the drive downwards ? All it talks about is up-sizing, which is not my aim. I tried setting this up, but the graphic display suggests that there will be 300 GB of unallocated space then remaining on the drive, and that is exactly where started (I think).
Further suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks for the rapid reply to my question, and for the suggestions made, all of which I have now tried. The virtual drives were C: applications, D: data (60GB), and E: Video (300GB - empty). After installing Acronis Disk Director I was able to merge Drives D & E, which then left me with the data on drive D: which is now 360 GB, having absorbed the 300 GB from Drive E. Next I followed the suggestion of compacting the Parallels virtual disk, using Parallels Tools. This had no effect at all, and after the 'successful' compacting of the disk I still finished up with 360 GB of space on drive D, which in reality only contains 20 GB of data. All space is allocated.
I next tried Parallels Desktop/Virtual Machine/Compressor, which ran for about 2 hours and at the 'successful' end, still left me with exactly the same 360 GB of allocated space. That has left me with with no ideas at all.
Can I use Acronis to re-size the drive downwards ? All it talks about is up-sizing, which is not my aim. I tried setting this up, but the graphic display suggests that there will be 300 GB of unallocated space then remaining on the drive, and that is exactly where started (I think).
Further suggestions would be appreciated.
cloclolulu
Bit poster
Reducing the size of VM disks
Hi,
I ran into the same problem, and did not find a real solution either: I cloned my Windows PC using transporter, removed applications and documents I did not need anymore, and thus freed up some space. From my total 74GB Disk capacity I have under Windows, I use now no more than 28GB, and the resulting Parallels virtual image size was around 50GB.
However a dirty workaround was to first defragment and then to separate the drive to resize (D
into two partitions (with a partitioning tool), so that one was completely empty (logical partition of 36GB) and the other contained the remaining files plus some 8GB of space. Then running Parallels Compressor tool, the virtual image came down to 35GB. A further Parallels Image Tool did not help a lot.
Ugly detail is that now I still have an unused partition under Windows...
Anyone else who sees a better possible solution?
Version used: Parallels Desktop 4 build 3848.
Hi,
I ran into the same problem, and did not find a real solution either: I cloned my Windows PC using transporter, removed applications and documents I did not need anymore, and thus freed up some space. From my total 74GB Disk capacity I have under Windows, I use now no more than 28GB, and the resulting Parallels virtual image size was around 50GB.
However a dirty workaround was to first defragment and then to separate the drive to resize (D
into two partitions (with a partitioning tool), so that one was completely empty (logical partition of 36GB) and the other contained the remaining files plus some 8GB of space. Then running Parallels Compressor tool, the virtual image came down to 35GB. A further Parallels Image Tool did not help a lot.Ugly detail is that now I still have an unused partition under Windows...
Anyone else who sees a better possible solution?
Version used: Parallels Desktop 4 build 3848.